ponying a new horse

[heidi sowards <ribbitttreefrog@yahoo.com>]

Ok, the new horse has settled in pretty well, he's now
easily haltered, feet picked up and trimmed, getting him
used to the usual, plastic bags, dogs, kids, noises, guns,
etc. He's still a bit spooky, but once he learns nothing is
going to "get" him, he calms right down. He halters really
well. He's next to Donte, (separated though) they can smell
each other and see each other all the time. My question,
should I start ponying Ash from Donte when I go riding? We
don't go far, maybe 3-4 miles, but I'd like to get Ash used
to trail manners from the get-go, as well as letting him
see more than his paddock. You all may not remember, Ash is
5, had minimal human contact for most of his life, just
gelded in April/May and has acted a bit studdy,
squealing/striking stuff, but hasn't done that for a long
time. Ash is not broke, has had the bareback pad on, he
will either go for training this fall/winter or early
spring. Just kind of wanted to get him into some semblance
of shape before then. He's a SUPER easy keeper, looks
pregnant on grass hay and a few handfuls of rolled oats per
day. I've ponied other horses before, but they were always
trained and I felt more comfortable doing it. We would just
be walking too BTW. Any suggestions appreciated! thanks in
advance! (Oh yeah, Donte would love to think he's in charge
of everything, and they've never had any real contact, just
sniffing over the fence.)


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